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Long-standing racism is returning to UK politics, and it creates deeply uneasy, the Prime Minister warned, alerting that divisive hard-right political tactics are “splitting the UK”.

Confronting Racist Language and Divisive Politics

Speaking with GP and TV personality Amir Khan, Starmer accused the Reform UK party of overseeing a return to racist and divisive politics “that frankly I thought we had dealt with long ago”.

During the discussion, broadcast on ITV’s Lorraine show on Tuesday, Starmer also gave his strongest signal that the limit on child benefits might be scrapped in the budget in the coming weeks.

Promise to Reduce Child Poverty

Asked whether he planned to eliminate the limit, as noted by advocacy groups is the biggest driver of child poverty in the UK, Starmer said: “I can tell you in no uncertain terms I am determined to lower poverty rates for kids.”

He outlined steps the government has already launched including free school meals, breakfast clubs, and child care support and emphasized: “Further action is necessary, and I assure you that I am personally committed on reducing childhood poverty.”

When pressed about if his remarks meant he intended to remove the two-child cap, Starmer said he “wouldn’t be telling you we aim to lower poverty among children without being sure that measures will be introduced a number of measures in order to do so”.

Clear Indications from Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves, gave a similarly clear signal earlier this week stating to a national radio station how ultimately, children must not be punished due to their family’s financial situation”.

Ministers are getting ready to scrap the restriction fully, having originally looked at phasing it out for bigger households or richer ones. An economic thinktank has estimated this would cost about £3.5bn in the coming years.

Political Divide and National Renewal

During the discussion, Starmer explained the political divide in the UK now existed between the government’s vision for renewal versus “the toxic division of Reform” and others on the right that are “splitting the UK”.

“Certain language we’re hearing – discriminatory talk, divisive rhetoric – that many assumed had been addressed long ago is coming back into politics and it makes people feel very scared,” he said.

“We must confront such discrimination, that division, and affirm with pride that to be British is to have concern for others, is to be reasonable, is to be tolerant and compassionate, and we’re proud of that.”

Echoing Warnings from the Health Secretary

The prime minister mirrored sentiments expressed by Wes Streeting, who cautioned recently how an “ugly” racism similar to the 1970s and 1980s had become worryingly commonplace again and that healthcare workers were facing the worst of this trend.

Streeting said incidents of verbal and physical abuse targeting individuals due to race had become so frequent that it had become “socially acceptable to be racist”.

“It is time to put a stop to discrimination across the UK and we’ve got to put that ugly racist sentiment that has emerged nationally back in its box and once again create an environment across Britain where racism is unacceptable to hold racist views,” Streeting said.

Critical Decision for Voters

Starmer spoke during a major political gathering in September to draw political battle lines with his political opponents, stating that voters faced a pivotal moment.

The prime minister explained he was engaged in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued although the public had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, there was “a moral line” which some politicians had crossed.

Starmer vowed to confront anyone who argued that non-white individuals did not belong and that households who had lived in the UK for generations must be removed, stating people promoting such views constituted “opposed to the country’s progress”.

“Encouraging racist violence and hatred, that goes beyond concern: it is illegal. This party – this great party – is proud of our flags, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, targeting a business owner to ‘go home’, that is not patriotism; that is pure discrimination,” he told supporters.